If you don’t know how all the search options work on a site, have you practiced using them for person you know is in the index? A good way to get better at using a search interface is to see how many ways you can find the same person using different search approaches: with no first name, with no last name, with no name at all, using wildcards creatively, using only a location, using keywords, etc. It’s easier to see how other search options work when you use them to find someone you know is already in the database–then you can focus on learning how to use them creatively and improve your search skills by asking “how many ways can I find this person in the database?” Then…when […]
FamilySearch has a searchable database of “United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890” on their site. This database was created of images of the extant veterans’ schedules from the US 1890 census. Not all schedules are extant–read the list before conducting a search. The schedules will provide additional service details on the veteran–or their widow. If you have a person you think was a veteran, but his name is common and you can’t “figure out which one is yours,” this database may help as it gives the residence of the individual in 1890. Check out the list of books on my genealogy shelf.
Working on Uncle Thomas Graves has reminded me of several things: It’s good to work on a “new” person occasionally. It broadens your perspective and can provide insight into “old” problems. Never assume there can’t be “just one more marriage.” Never assume two names can’t be the same person. Have a local map handy that you can actually see while you work. Research everyone involved. They may be related in ways you don’t immediately notice. A grandchild who is the informant on a 98-year old woman’s death certificate may not be the most knowledgeable source. Someone may have the essence of something correct while not quite remembering the key details. Your first hunch may be wrong. Thomas Graves died in March of 1912 in Macon, Missouri. We’re still […]
When you discover a new last name in your ancestry, ask yourself: how else could this name be pronounced other than the “way” I’ve already assigned to it in my head; what letters in this name could be read incorrectly by someone making an index; what letters in this name often look like other letters; how common is this name in the area where I’m searching; does the name provide any clues as to origin or ethnicity of this person; what have I assumed about this name that might not be true?
Probate case files can be full of wonderful old items besides the will and names of heirs or beneficiaries. If you’re lucky, there may be a copy of the sale bill announcing when the property of the deceased was to be sold. This one from 1920 included items from the estate of Sarah Newman and her son. Some of the items in the handwritten records were difficult to read and the printed sale bill made transcription of some of those items easier. In this case it’s mentioned that lunch will be served. Sometimes, if a church group is serving lunch, they will be named. That could be a clue. And these are just neat items to locate.
What is the difference between indirect evidence and direct evidence? One good example is a voter’s list. Since a person has to be a citizen to vote, your ancestor’s name appearing on a voter’s list is indirect evidence that your foreign-born ancestor naturalized (assuming that the guy on the voter’s list really is your ancestor and not another guy with the same name). The evidence is indirect because the voter’s list doesn’t explicitly state that he was naturalized. If the voter’s list is one of those that lists date and place of naturalization for voters, then the voter’s list would be direct evidence of his naturalization because it is specifically stating that he was naturalized. Of course you ancestor could have lied about his citizenship status in order to vote, but […]
When I discovered my German immigrant ancestors spent a few years in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the mid-19th century, I had to learn a few things. The rest of their life had been spent in small, rural communities and I was familiar with research there. “Big city” research was a little different. There were more people to sort through in every set of records. There were sources in an urban area that I was not used to using or even having access to (eg. city directories). But the thing I came away with from my experience was the importance of remembering that when an area is “new” and different from what I am used to (either in terms of time period, geographic location, political structure, etc.), my first plan […]
There are a variety of reminders from the initial error I made with this map showing Helmershausen, Germany. Initially I thought the wrong “dot” marked Helmershausen. The town was close enough to the border between two duchys that using the incorrect dot incorrectly put the village in the wrong one. And while saying “don’t be hasty,” “take a second look,” and “don’t be afraid to ask someone else” are suggestions we here often–it doesn’t hurt to have the occasional reminder. And make certain you have the right dot. Sometimes a few miles really does make a difference. This image comes from Family Tree Historical Atlas of Germany, by James Beidler. It includes maps for all of Germany.
Remember that the month of Xber is actually not October. Tip of the day readers familiar with their calendar history will know that X is the Roman number for ten and that the prefix “oct” means 8. That’s because before the calendar change of 1752, March was the first month of the year, making October the eighth month and not the tenth month. Chances are after the calendar change of 1752, Xber refers to December and that before the calendar change of 1752 it referred to October. Best advice: Record the month EXACTLY as written. If your software program doesn’t “like “Xber” then personally, I would leave the date blank and record an EXACT transcription in my notes as to the date, but that’s just my preference. And […]
We’re having a 50% off webinar sale on 4 April only. Details (including the coupon code) are in our announcement.
Some people seem to always live near the border. My Trautvetter family lived near political borders in Germany, Kentucky, and Illinois. Knowing that helps my research and having printed maps is often easier than constantly using images on my computer. This map shows Helmershausen, Germany, clearly indicating it’s position relative to what were several Thuringian states at the time. Borders in Germany (like much of Europe) were in flux for some time. The small village was located in what was the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach but bordered several other Thuringen states. The town was abbreviated on the map–written as “Helmersh’sn.” I was fortunate it was not abbreviated in some other way that made it more difficult to locate. Some printed maps do not show every town. The very […]
Generally speaking at the very basic level, genealogists should cite: conclusions that were not their own (who said it, when and where it was published) ; statements made in documents (the document and how you got it); images they didn’t make (where it came from, who made it, etc.); conclusions they reached (how you reached it and what was used to reach it). Of course permissions to use materials may be required in some cases and one should never indicate that they said or wrote something when it was actually someone else who said or wrote it. The details of citing are more specific than this, but this is a good place to start and a good set of generalities to keep in mind. And remember…the genealogy world […]
Typed up copies of records are easier to use for a variety of reasons. It’s just important to transcribe exactly as the document is written and separate off the transcription from your commentary and analysis. My personal preference is to indicate the beginning and the end of the transcription in the following manner: [begin transcription] This is the document text that is being transcribed and only the document text. This is what the document said word 4[sic] word. [end transcription] Discussion of the text of the document should be outside of the transcription and done in such a way that it clearly does not suggest that the discussion is a part of the document. Obvious errors in the document can be noted using a sic as was done after […]
If a probate record contains an appraisal of property and a list of what the property sold for, compare them. Are they close? Usually the values are reasonably close–unless there’s an item or two someone is “fighting over.” What can be more interesting is to see if there’s any pattern in the sale prices. In one probate from Missouri from the 1860s, the price the widow paid for items at the same was approximately 10% of the appraised value. The items that neighbors bought sold for amounts that were reasonably close the the appraised value. It didn’t take long to figure out that neighbors were probably letting her purchase items she needed. State law dictated that after certain items were given to the widow, the rest had to […]
When encountering a family of parent(s) and children, always consider the possibility that the children are not full biological siblings. Some children could have been from previous relationships either parent had and others could be theirs together. Even if there were no divorces or separations, previous spouses could have either abandoned their family or died. Left with children to support, remarriage was relatively common especially if the remaining parent’s economic status made it necessary. Never assume that what appears to be a “husband wife and their children” actually is. It may not be.
Recent Comments